Nature Node
This article pertains specifically to the '''Nature Node', and explains only how it is different from other Nodes. For information about how Nodes work in general, see Node.'' A Nature Node is a type of Terrain Special, and one of 3 different types of Nodes in the game. It is a superior type of Terrain Special, acting simultaneously as a source, an Encounter Zone, and a special terrain type. Initially, Nature Nodes are guarded by a contingent of Fantastic Units. Once these have been removed, any Wizard may send a or to Meld with the Node, thus acquiring a constant input of based on the Node's coverage area. A Nature Node on the Plane of Myrror (which can have a 10 - 20 tile zone of influence) produces more than one located on Arcanus (that can cover between 5 - 10 tiles), but is usually also protected by much more powerful creatures. Typically, several Nature Nodes are placed randomly around the map at the start of the game, and cannot be removed or added. The terrain under a Nature Node is always changed into a special type of Forest tile, which in many ways acts as if it contained Wild Game in terms of its benefits to nearby Towns. The presence of the Nature Node itself causes oddities in the magical field. It is much harder to successfully cast non- spells during combat at a Nature Node. Also, the output of from the Node boosts the abilities of all Fantastic Units during any battle within the Node's area of influence. Nature Nodes react to several types of "Conjunction" Events. During a Nature Conjunction, the Node produces twice as much as normal. During other Conjunctions, it may produce half, or no at all. Description The Nature Node is a location where the barrier between the primal planes (Arcanus and Myrror) and the is weak, allowing to seep through in great quantities. This seepage of energy causes a glowing Forest to grow around the Node itself. Also, creatures from the may cross through from their native Plane into the material Planes, and will aggressively protect the Node against anyone who dares approach it. On the overland map, Nature Nodes appear as a mass of glowing green trees. They are fairly easy to spot on the dank landscape of Myrror, but blend somewhat into the green terrain of Arcanus. Distribution and Terrain The game will randomly generate Nature Nodes on the map when creating the world for a new campaign. The number of Nature Nodes appearing on any map and the locations of these Nodes are both random. It is thus possible to get a map with very few Nature Nodes on either Plane. While it is also theoretically possible to have no Nature Node on one of the Planes, the probability of this is extremely low in game versions v1.1+ (the general article on Nodes explores Node generation in more detail). The terrain underneath a Nature Node is shown as a Forest when examined using the Surveyor (F1) tool - and will also behave as a Forest for the purposes of both determining unit movement speeds through this tile, and enabling Town Buildings with wood resource requirements (i.e. Sawmill and buildings requiring it). However, as explained below, it is more beneficial to nearby Towns than a regular Forest tile. It is not possible to alter the tile underneath a Nature Node with terrain-altering spells like or . Building Settlements on top of a Nature Node is also prohibited. It is, however, possible to build a Road or Enchanted Road across the Node. Terrain Bonuses On the surface, a Nature Node grants the base attributes of a Forest tile to any Town that has one in its catchment area. Namely, a bonus of , a simultaneous boost of to the Town's Base Food Level, and the ability to construct a Sawmill. At least these are the numbers that the Surveyor (F1) will show when mousing over the Nature Node. However, the Surveyor (F1) is actually incorrect in this case with regards to the Food Availability of this tile: in practice, Nature Nodes increase the Base Food Level by rather than , which puts them on par with a Forest containing a Wild Game special. This makes Nature Nodes the second best terrain type in terms of supporting high-population Towns. While tiles bearing a Wild Game enjoy the added benefit of output added directly to the Town's (which is not true in the case of the Nature Node), they are also susceptible to Corruption and may even be destroyed completely. Base Food Level affects both the Town's Maximum Population (and thus also Population Growth), and its production efficiency treshold (the point from where Farmers can only harvest half of their normal amount). Unlike Wild Games (before the Unofficial Patch 1.50), the Maximum Population contribution of Nature Nodes does get properly factored in by the Surveyor (F1) when surveying the land for founding new Outposts. This is in direct contrast with the same tool listing the tile's bonus itself incorrectly. Encounter Zone | ZoneType = Node }} Combat in a Nature Node Whenever combat occurs within the same tile as a Nature Node, or even within its vicinity, special rules come into effect that may alter the outcome significantly. Generally-speaking, -wielding wizards will have a relatively easier time doing battle in this area, whereas other wizards may encounter considerable difficulties. As a result, the Nature Node can also be a strategic asset. *During battle inside the Nature Node's own tile, the node is capable of dispelling any non- spells as they are being cast. *During combat on any of the tiles in the Nature Node's area of influence, all Fantastic Units receive powerful bonuses to their combat stats. Both of these effects are visible when clicking the "Info" button during battle. This is a good way of telling whether combat is taking place within a Node's area of influence (and is the only way of doing this if the Node has not yet been Melded with). Nature Node Dispelling Aura The massive output of energy from the Nature Node interferes with the casting of combat spells. During battles that take place on the same tile where the Nature Node itself is, any attempt to cast a combat spell of any kind that is not from the Realm (including spells) must face being countered by the Node. This "dispelling attempt" occurs immediately upon selecting the spell for casting - before any target can be chosen. If it succeeds, the spell will fizzle and have no effect. The strength of the dispel is equal to , which means that the formula for calculating its success is as follows: Chance = 50 / (50 + TSCC) × 100 Where "TSCC" is the total (modified) Casting Cost of the spell which the Node is targeting. For example, if attempting to cast a spell with a total of invested (with reductions, if any), the chance of it being countered is as follows: Chance = 50 / (50 + 25) × 100 = 50 / 75 × 100 = 0.66 × 100 = a 66% chance to counter this spell as it's being cast. spells of any kind will bypass this effect entirely. They will never be dispelled by the Nature Node regardless of their type or Casting Cost. The Node Mastery Retort also allows a Wizard (and any units under their control) to cast spells from any Realm inside any Node, without being subjected to its dispelling effects. Such Wizards possess a clear advantage in Node combat. Nature Node Unit Bonus Aura The Node emits another special aura within its area of influence. All Fantastic Units from the Realm receive a set of very important bonuses while fighting here. These are: * , * , * , * and . Although the enhancement to and Attack Strength only applies if the unit possesses such an attack by default, the Ranged Attack bonus applies to all types of Ranged Attacks, including short-range ones (i.e. the hidden Physical component of some Gaze Attacks). All Fantastic Units associated with the Realm are affected, regardless of their owner. Other units are not affected in any way. These bonuses are extremely potent, and have several strategic implications. For starters, this means that the original creatures guarding a Nature Node (which are all from the Realm by definition) are much harder to defeat than similar creatures encountered in other locations. Furthermore, the fact that this effect also applies in the vicinity of the Nature Node means that the entire area is a great place for creatures to mount a defense or an attack. An army comprised mostly or entirely of creatures has a considerable advantage inside this aura. Assaulting an enemy army made up of such creatures, while it is in the vicinity of a Nature Node, is thus typically a bad idea, and should be avoided if at all possible. Finally, this means that any -wielding Wizard is encouraged to build Towns within the area of influence of a Nature Node, and protect those Town with garrisons of creatures. This will make these Towns much harder to conquer. Controlling Nodes The process of controlling and Melding with a Nature Node is identical to that of any other Node. Successfully accomplishing this reveals the Node's entire area of influence as glowing tiles around it, that sparkle with the color of the controlling Wizard. The Node then generates one point of every turn for each such tile, adjusted by the game's Magic Intensity Setting (half if "Weak", 150% if "Powerful" - Insecticide and later patches replace these option names with simply the multiplier value instead). Retorts There are several Retorts available that will boost the amount of acquired from each of a Node's glowing tiles. For Nature Nodes, the two Retorts that affect this are Nature Mastery and Node Mastery. With either of these Retorts, each glowing tile produces twice as much as it would otherwise. For example, when playing in a "Normal" Magic Intensity world, a Wizard with Nature Mastery will get from each glowing tile belonging to a Nature Node. The effect from these Retorts is cumulative. Therefore, a Wizard possessing both Nature Mastery and Node Mastery will get 4 times as much from each Node tile! This can amount to a massive boost of , and encourages such a Wizard to gain control of as many Nature Nodes as they can, as early as they can. Random Effects on Node Output As with any other Node, the output of the Nature Node is mostly static, and will remain the same throughout the game. The exceptions occur, as explained in the article on Nodes, through the use of the spell, through acquisition of new Retorts, and as a result of "Conjunction" Events. The most common effect on a Nature Node's output is a "Conjunction" of magic: a random Event which affects the power output of all Nodes simultaneously, for a short period of time. Conjunctions Conjunctions are one of the most common random Events in the game, mainly because they are actually a group of multiple similar Events. There is a chance that such an Event will occur on the start of any given turn. A Conjunction will always last for at least 5 turns, after which it will have a cumulative 5% chance of ending naturally every turn. There are three types of Conjunctions that affect Nature Node. Of these, Nature Conjunctions are obviously best. When these are in play, each tile within each Nature Node's area of influence produces twice as much as normal for its controlling Wizard (cumulative with the Retorts above, although all roundings are separate and downward). Naturally, if no Wizard is currently in control of a Nature Node, that node produces no for anyone anyway. Conjunctions of Chaos and Conjunctions of Sorcery, on the other hand, will halve all output of every Nature Node while they are in effect. Wizards with many Nature Nodes under their control but few other types are therefore in trouble, having a greatly reduced income of . Unfortunately, there is no way to expedite the end of a Conjunction. During a Conjunction of Nature, empires with plenty of Nature Nodes under their control will usually go on the offensive, or use magic to develop their assets to terrifying strength. During other Conjunctions, such empires are weak and make good targets for a sudden invasion. Paying attention to the types of Nodes controlled by enemy Wizards may thus present strategic opportunities to capitalize on a Conjunction. Although not a "Conjunction" strictly speaking, Mana Short also does fall into this Event category and abides by the same rules as "regular" Conjunctions. During a Mana Short, all sources of are negated, and thus the Nature Node will cease to provide any, regardless of any other effects. Once the Event ends, output will immediately return to normal. Category:Terrain Specials Category:Nodes Category:Encounter Zones